Golden Wings of the Garuda: The Paramount Guardian of Faith
In Tibetan, the golden-winged Garuda is known as "Qiong." As the supreme leader among guardian deities, it serves as the ultimate protector of faith. Feeding on dragons, Qiong embodies the essence of all wisdom and wrathful deities, and it serves as a potent instrument for accomplishing tasks. It stands as a fierce adversary to dragons, demons, and diseases of every kind. It is believed by the Tibetan people that wearing Qiong offers protection against all harm arising from negative energies.
Widely celebrated across the Tibetan region for its refined artistry and profound spiritual principles, the golden-winged Garuda serves as the foremost guardian deity and embodies triumph over all hindrances. The Chinle brand, which traces its beginnings to Dzongsar, is closely linked to the principal copper-casting method of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, a craft highly acclaimed for its distinctive bronze alloys and meticulous execution.
Located in Dege County, Garze Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province, China, Dzongsar is a small valley with a population of just over six thousand. The valley is celebrated as a hub for Tibetan handicrafts; one-fifth of its inhabitants are artisans. Among the 11 different Tibetan crafts produced here are copper casting, black pottery, gold and silver processing, weaving, wood carving, and Tangkas.
Among these crafts, Dzongsar copper casting is especially prominent and has earned high regard from art communities both at home and abroad. Featured in the picture is the special bronze casting technique of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo. Historically, adding precious metals such as gold and silver to bronze alloys has been rare. For the past few centuries, authentic Buddhist statues in Tibetan Buddhism have generally been made of bronze. Because the founders of various temples and eminent monks used different metal compositions, the resulting bronze varies in texture, scent, color, and luster.
In the 19th century, the first Sangha Rinpoche (Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo) passed down teachings and inheritance secrets, and from these Qingle's bronze technology originates. Across the entire Tibetan region, it remains one of the few surviving bronze inheritance technologies. According to Master Khyentse Wangpo's instructions, bronze is not made of copper alone; rather, seven principal precious metals—gold, silver, tin, zinc, lead, brass, and bronze (old copper)—must be mixed and refined together.
Quxi is assisting her husband by preparing the materials for the sand casting process. The fire-resistant red sand is sourced from a nearby mountain, where it is gathered and then crushed and filtered. After the filtering step, Quxi sprinkles water onto the soil and kneads it by hand. Once the mixture has been left overnight to ensure better cohesion, an artisan places a pre-prepared model onto the smoothed surface. This marks the start of the sand molding procedure, in which a wooden frame mold—referred to as a flask—is employed to pack the sand into the mold.
To keep the damp sand from adhering to the pattern, charcoal powder is applied as a separating agent. Molds are created by pounding soil with wooden sticks. After a square mold has been shaped, it is lifted from the wooden tray, and skilled artisans use knives to round and smooth its outer surface. This exterior finishing is purely for aesthetic purposes, as it has no bearing on the casting outcome. Once the mold is complete, the next step involves the craftsman making a sprue—the passageway that allows molten metal to flow into the mold during pouring.
Believing that visitors bring bad luck to the casting, craftsmen do not allow them during the process; in earlier times, a sign was left at the studio door to warn off unexpected guests. The mold is dried overnight on the stove, where the temperature stays relatively low. For casting, the mold is bound tightly with rubber bands, then it is ignited once more at a high temperature on the stove, and the copper is melted. After that, the molten metal is poured into the empty mold.
Opening the mold brings both excitement and anxiety, much like awaiting exam results—a failure would mean all the effort has gone to waste. A clear mold, on the other hand, can greatly reduce the time needed for the detailed carving that follows. Once casting is complete, artists move on to the most demanding stage: fine carving, in which a variety of tools are used to hammer, press, or refine the patterns so they become sharper and more delicate. Maixiu is widely renowned for its Tibetan metal casting, and it is home to nearly 200 craftsmen skilled in metal carving.
The polishing stage is the last step, carried out with tools like files, leather, and polishing agents. Usually, this task is handled by retired elderly individuals no longer engaged in strenuous labor. Once this is done, a large Peng Jinchi protective pendant crafted through the Qingle sand casting method is finished.